It has been shown that cell-binding agent conjugates of indolinobenzodiazepine dimers that have one imine functionality and one amine functionality display a much higher therapeutic index (ratio of maximum tolerated dose to minimum effective dose) in vivo compared to previously disclosed benzodiazepine derivatives having two imine functionalities. See, for example, WO 2012/128868. The previously disclosed method for making the indolinobenzodiazepine dimers with one imine functionality and one amine functionality involves partial reduction of indolinobenzodiazepine dimers having two imine functionalities. The partial reduction step generally leads to the formation of fully reduced by-product and unreacted starting material, which requires cumbersome purification step and results in low yield.
Thus, there exists a need for improved methods for preparing the indolinobenzodiazepine dimers that are more efficient and suitable for large scale manufacturing process.